Knox student fights her way through school

Marissa “Show Stopper” Smith, 21, a Knox College senior of Hispanic heritage, is into mixed martial arts. Mixed martial arts fighting is a combination of boxing, jiu-jitsu, judo, karate, kickboxing, wrestling and other fighting forms. In the United States, MMA-style fighting can be traced back to the early 1900s, but world-wide it is much older than that.

Triangle blocks, Hindu push-ups, shrimp crawls, crab crawls, scissor sweeps, mountain climbers and bar breaks. Smith does them all on old black Galesburg High School wrestling mats while she moves to the music in the tan-walled room with a black ceiling.

“I like to get hit. It is fun. I mean it hurts and you get bruises but it is a good time,” Smith said.

Mixed martial arts fighting is a combination of boxing, jiu-jitsu, judo, karate, kickboxing, wrestling and other fighting forms. In the United States, MMA-style fighting can be traced back to the early 1900s, but world-wide it is much older than that.

Smith’s teacher, Beau Admire, 28, owner of Old School Elite — which is located in Room 102 — speaks highly of Smith.

“Marissa is a good poster girl for the mixed martial arts community and for other women to look up to,” Admire said. “She is a college student who works hard on her studies mentally and comes into class and works hard physically.

“Women are empowered now and I think a lot of women are starting to discover they can do basically anything. Marissa is a prime example of a strong, motivated woman. She is one of the only females competing in mixed martial arts in Galesburg.”

Marissa Smith

Smith is a 2005 Galesburg High School graduate. In 2006 she was third runner up in the Knox County Fair queen pageant.

Aside from being a student, she also is a bartender at The Corral and Billiards on Main. She says she stumbled into MMA style fighting by accident.

“My sophomore year of high school, me and my friend, Britta Stacey, started a cardio class and it escalated from there,” Smith said. “I was in one Muay Tai tournament in Florida when I was 17 and I lost. Since there wasn’t anyone to fight in the junior division, I got bumped up to the adult division. I remember her name, it was Kathleen Beam. She was 23 years old. I have pictures of her. Her back was towards the camera, and she looked like a beast. I was shocked when I was in the ring.”

In 1993, mixed martial arts style fighting gained widespread popularity when the Ultimate Fighting Championship was formed. In the early years, MMA style fighting in the UFC was in essence street fighting, but times have changed, largely due to pressure from politicians.

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In 1995, on the floor of the United States Senate, John McCain lambasted mixed martial arts fighting as “human cockfighting.” He has since changed his view with the increase of regulations, many of which he helped implement.

Since then, MMA fighting has changed. “The evolution of MMA is going to keep progressing. It is not street fighting anymore,” said Admire. He began doing martial arts when he was 4 years old and only began MMA fighting in 2006.

MMA an Olympic event?

“People aren’t just jumping into the ring and trying to beat each other up,” Admire said. “There are a lot of rules now. I think these are professional athletes just like anything in the Olympics. Probably, within the next three to five years MMA will be in the Olympics.”

The UFC does not employ women as fighters. However, women can get jobs as octagon girls, which are the UFC’s version of boxing ring girls. Smith does not do MMA-style fighting in hopes of getting a paycheck from the UFC.

“I am a really aggressive person,” Smith said. “I don’t mean to be, but I am a rough girl. I like to hit people. It is something that is positive. You are not out in the streets or in a bar getting into street fights. This is organized and I would rather do this than get in trouble outside of the ring.”

She also considers MMA-style fighting a great stress reliever. “When you are mad or pissed off this is an awesome workout just to come in and hit the bag,” she said. “This is just a positive way to get your aggression, get your stress out.”

First MMA fight

Smith was stunned when she fought Beam, but she is prepared for her first MMA fight at The Palace Skating and Reception Center, 1855 E. Knox St., on Saturday.

She’s been training for a year. “I work out every weekday an hour and a half to two hours. I am watching what I eat. I am getting my mind right. My body hurts every day, but I have to stay positive, look toward the ultimate goal and doing the best I can in the ring,” she said. “I don’t want to get through one round and then be like, ‘Man I can’t go anymore. I wish I would have worked harder.’ ”

Smith will fight at 145 pounds and in order to do so, she must lose 11 pounds. Her teacher believes she has what it takes to win her first MMA fight.

“Marissa is a good athlete,” Admire said. “She is a good striker. She has a lot of stand-up ability. She is a strong girl with good ground techniques.”

Smith’s roommate and friend, Megan Quick, 21, also a Knox College senior, has been Smith’s training partner for the last four weeks and knows the work Smith has put in.

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“Marissa works her ass off,” Quick said. “It is something she wants and is working really hard for. She has fought before so this is not completely new to her.”

Smith is donating all the profits from her fight to Safe Harbor Family Crisis Center, a local non-profit agency which offers support for victims and survivors of domestic violence.

“I think Safe Harbor is an awesome cause. I really want to help them with The Purple Hanger (Resale Shoppe),” Smith said. “I hope someday they can get an actual safe house, because they don’t have one right now.

“I have not told them yet that I am fighting and giving them the money. I am not sure how they will react. I know that MMA style fighting is contrary to what Safe Harbor stands for. I think they will be all for it and excited about it, but I don’t know. It is not that I am promoting fighting.

“In some situations, some women who are battered have lost their self-confidence and their self-esteem and can’t say, ‘I can get out of this.’ MMA style fighting helps build my self-confidence and my self-esteem.”